Greed, lust, power, and murder are words not commonly associated with the world of classical music. Yet this is the setting into which blind Daniel Jacobus, a reclusive, cantankerous violin teacher living in self-imposed exile in rural New England, is inexorably drawn. For Jacobus, who spends his time chain smoking, listening to old LPs, and berating students in the hope they will flee, the evils of that world are epitomized by the "Piccolino" Stradivarius, a uniquely dazzling violin that has brought misfortune to all who possessed it over the centuries.

After the Carnegie Hall debut of nine-year old Grimsley Competition winner Kamryn Vander, who is managed by the ruthless Musical Arts Project (MAP), the priceless "Piccolino" is stolen with Jacobus at the scene of the crime.

But that's not the end of his problems. Haughty Victoria Jablonski, Vander's teacher and Jacobus's rival, is brutally murdered, and Jacobus becomes the primary suspect in both crimes. With the help of his musical partner Nathaniel Williams and his intriguing new student Yumi Shinagawa, Jacobus sets out to rid the world of MAP and prove his innocence against all odds.